Sediment aggregation and water quality in wildfire-affected river basins

Off-site transfer of nutrient-rich burnt soil has implications for downstream water quality. Coarsening of effective particle size (EPS) distributions in burnt material via aggregation of fines into composite particles modifies post-fire sediment and nutrient transport dynamics. Experiments were undertaken to establish temperature controls on wildfire-enhanced soil aggregation. Burnt and unburnt soil from a temperate eucalypt forest were …